Polkinghorne trial: No evidence to support strangulation murder - pathologist

A star defence witness in the Philip Polkinghorne trial says there is no evidence to support Pauline Hanna was strangled to death.

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Pathologist Professor Stephen Cordner, from Australia, is continuing to give evidence at the High Court in Auckland.

He has a long history of high-level appointments and top recognitions.

"What would you say the cause of death is," he was asked by defence lawyer Ron Mansfield.

"The findings support hanging," Cordner said, adding there's no finding that can support a killing from manual or ligature strangulation.

Cordner was called in by the defence to consider whether Hanna's death at Easter 2021 was homicide or suicide.

Polkinghorne says he found her already dead after he woke up in their home in Auckland's Remuera.

But the Crown's case is that a suicide does not add up.

It says Polkinghorne, 71, killed his wife and staged it to look like a suicide while he was caught in a web of meth use, infidelity and money woes.

His defence has painted a picture of his wife working long hours in a high stress job, who had attempted suicide before and was on anti-depressants.

When he started his evidence on Wednesday Cordner warned the jury he would have to talk about "pretty grim" content.

Much of his evidence cannot be reported after a suppression order was issued by Justice Lang.

Earlier in the trial, a pathologist called by the Crown who carried out the post-mortem couldn't pinpoint either suicide or strangulation.

"I don't prefer one over the other ... I cannot rule out one over the other," Dr Kilak Kesha said.

Cordner today told jurors there were no injuries found on Hanna indicating any past assaults.

He reiterated his belief that Hanna, 63, died in the hours close to when Polkinghorne called 111.

Asked by Mansfield what he would have reported the death as if he had attended the scene, Cordner said he would have concluded death by hanging.

"Because the findings fit with hanging and there are no findings to support the alternative of homicidal ligature or manual strangulation," he said.

Under cross examination, Crown prosecutor Alysha McClintock contrasted Cordner's evidence with that of the Crown witnesses.

"It's perfectly reasonable for people to have different points of view, and other people will work out which point of view is preferred," he said.

The trial did not sit on Thursday.

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